KR20170001053U - Filter apparatus for arc ion evaporator used in cathodic arc plasma deposition system - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus for improving the quality of a plasma beam from an arc ion evaporator or cathode arc source using multiple tubes arranged parallel to each other to filter large particles in the plasma beam.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a filter device for an arc ion evaporator used in a cathode arc plasma deposition system,

This invention relates to the application of vacuum arc technology. Synthesis of nano-powder materials, ion implantation for surface improvement, and other uses by using plasma filtered from arc ion evaporator for coating deposition is possible with this technique.

For example, the filtered plasma obtained from the present invention can be used in, but is not limited to, mechanical engineering, instrumentation and tool making, manufacture of electronic equipment, nano-powders of ceramic materials and other industrial applications.

Cathode arc plasma deposition or arc ion plating is currently the most common technique for coating cutting tools, molds, die and automotive parts.

This technique, derived from the development of a Soviet arc ion evaporator or cathode arc plasma source, has been further developed since it is a very effective technique for depositing thin films for various needs.

One of the most important development directions of cathodic arc plasma deposition is to confine the plasma, to control the plasma behavior, to reduce the amount of macroparticles such as contaminated molecules or large particles in the plasma beam and the deposited film I will.

There are many filter devices designed to control the plasma and filter large particles. These filters use mechanical and / or magnetic fields to obtain the required results, and these filters have different pros and cons.

One of the machinery developed by A. I. Ryabchikov in the Soviet Union is the large Venetian-blind filter.

Ryabchikov's Venetian-blind filter uses a large frame and places multiple planes inside the frame. This plane is angled in a Venetian-blind manner disposed between the arc ion evaporator and the substrate of the workpiece. This arrangement of the Venetian blind filter prevents line-of-sight between the arc ion evaporator and the workpiece.

When neutral particles or large particles collide with the plane of this Venetian blind filter, they are inserted into the plane or protrude in different directions. Plasmas with extreme high energy levels can pass through the spaces between the planes of the Venetian blind filter.

For better plasma transport from the Venetian blind filter, a specific pattern of electric bias is used to create a magnetic field around each plane of the filter. In addition, the magnetic field around the plane of the filter helps to accelerate the plasma in the Venetian-blind structure.

Figure 1 (prior art) shows the principle of Ryabchikov's Venetian-blind filter.

The arc ion evaporator 101 generates a plasma beam composed of a cation 109, an electron 113 and a neutral particle 111. While cations and electrons are plasma components, neutral particles can exhibit different sizes ranging from atomic size to large particles of several micrometers or more.

In addition, the Venetian-blind 114 structure used for filtration is fabricated in a large rectangular plane disposed in parallel with each other. If the filtration demand is high, these planes will be tilted until there is no line of sight between the arc ion evaporator and the workpiece. If higher plasma transport is required, the current should be biased specifically in the direction denoted by numeral 115.

For a clearer understanding of the principle of the Venetian blind filter, Figure 2 (prior art) shows a schematic diagram of this system installed in a vacuum chamber. The arc ion evaporator 101 generates a plasma beam that is beaming in a direction toward the Venetian blind filter 114 structure. A set of planes (or vanes or lamella or grill) of the filter are angled to block the line of sight from the arc ion evaporator 101 to the workpiece substrate 116. It should also be noted that a more complex electrical system for deflecting the Venetian blind filter is required to more efficiently transport the plasma in this Fig. This complexity limits the use of this system to R & D tasks that require additional soft films with very low macroparticle contamination.

3 (Prior Art) shows the principle of plasma transportation in a Venetian blind filter. By electrical deflection in the Venetian blind filter system as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the magnetic field 110 is generated around the plane of each filter or the lamella 114. When the plasma beam is run into a column of filter lamella (or plane) from an arc ion evaporator consisting of plasma 109 and neutral particles 111, only the plasma passes through the space between the planes, I can not get stuck.

FIG. 4 (prior art) from US Pat. No. 8,382,963 B2 issued to Frank Weber and Samuel Harris shows their findings on a Venetian-blind filter system operating in the line of sight mode. They do not need to tilt the plane intercepting the line of sight between the arc ion evaporator and the workpiece surface to reduce some of the large particles, since most of the neutral particles do not have a trajectory perpendicular to the target surface 102 of the arc ionizer It is possible to use the depth and space between each plane 114 of the filter. The coatings obtained in this way may not be free from large particle contamination, but are sufficiently good for cutting tools and automotive parts coatings.

4 (prior art). = D / S is used to find the critical angle of the neutral particles exiting from the surface of the target 102 of the arc ion evaporator to the plane of the filter 114. If the plane of this filter has a depth D that is longer than the threshold value obtained from this formula or has a spacing distance S lower than the threshold value, the neutral particles will be limited inside the filter system.

D is the filter depth. S is the distance (distance) between elements (planes). is the angle at which neutrals emit (emit) from the target. Θ crit. Or the critical angle is the maximum angle for at least one collision with the filter. 102 is the target material of the arc ion evaporator. 114 is the plane or element of the filter. 111 is a neutral particle that collides with and confines the plane of the filter. 111a is a neutral particle that can pass through the critical angle.

It should also be noted that the critical angle depends on the design of the target and arc ion evaporator and uses the formula of Figure 4 (prior art). System designers can determine the amount of filtration required for large particles.

For better plasma transport, U.S. Patent No. 8,382,963 B2 still uses electrical deflection according to Ryabchikov's design for the magnetic field transport of the plasma.

5 (prior art) is a Venetian blind filter system manufactured at Fraunhofer Institute, Dresden, Germany. This is a large system made according to Ryabchikov's design, and a number of arc ion evaporators can be placed on one side of the filter.

However, the venetian blind filter is very effective for filtering large particles and has high flexibility to change the design according to the user's demand, but has low popularity in industrial systems due to some inherent problems. Some examples of such problems are that they require a large space in the vacuum chamber where the structure is large and effective use of the vacuum chamber interior space is required for cost reduction. This filter system requires a complicated electrical bias to generate a magnetic field, so the cost of fabricating and maintaining this filter system is also high. Since the coating material will be deposited in much of the vacuum system inside the deposition chamber, it is necessary to periodically remove the deposited material. Large and complex systems represent a problem of uninstallation for maintenance, and larger systems are required to remove deposited material from the filter system.

During the Soviet era, II Axenov et al. Studied the angular distribution of neutral and large particles from a cathodic arc vapor deposition system and found that most of the neutral and large particles were emitted from the arc ion evaporator at 25-30 degrees of the target surface .

This knowledge was reflected in the design of a number of steered arc ion evaporators at numerous research institutes in the Soviet Union. By using a solenoid field to place the target of the arc ion evaporator deep within its own port and to discharge the plasma while neutral and large particles hit the surface of the port, the ion / neutrality ratio is higher and thus a better coating can be obtained .

Figure 6 (prior art) shows a system using design concepts. The tube 102 has a solenoid that produces a magnetic field (or solenoid field) to expel the plasma if the target 102 of the arc ion evaporator is placed deep within the port 103, or if the target has a rounded surface facing the vacuum chamber . The plasma emitted by the solenoid field will flow toward the surface of the workpiece 116 inside the vacuum chamber and will deposit the coating on the surface of the workpiece.

Figure 7 (prior art) shows the magnetic field 110 produced by the solenoid coil 104. Since the plasma will travel along the magnetic field lines, this solenoid field can guide the plasma from the target 102 of the arc ionizer to the surface 116 of the workpiece.

The filter system using the solenoid port can be made very compact and can be installed in the arc ion evaporator in a one-to-one manner, so that the space required for such a system is small. However, this kind of system is considered to have a low filtration efficiency because the port used when compared to the target diameter of the arc ion evaporator tends to be large, so that a significant amount of neutral particles can be reflected from the wall of the solenoid port, You can easily sit down.

Also, since the price per efficiency ratio is not high, this filter system does not spread widely in industrial communities outside the former Soviet Union.

The present invention is an apparatus for improving the quality of a plasma beam from an arc ion evaporator or a cathode arc source using multiple tubes disposed parallel to each other to filter large particles in the plasma beam.

The inventor of the present invention considered the drawbacks of the system to develop a new filter system. This new system has the advantages of the filter system described in the prior art and reduces the drawbacks.

The inventors of the present invention may employ multiple tubes arranged parallel to each other, instead of using a Venetian-blind structure, such that the multiple tubes may be installed in a port located in front of the arc ion evaporator. By using this arrangement, the present invention can be installed in a one-to-one manner in each arc ion evaporator, so that the volume inside the vacuum chamber can be preserved. In addition, when better plasma transport is desired, the solenoid system can be used to generate a magnetic field for exporting more plasma. By using the solenoid field, the complexity of the design and production of the electro-biased magnetic field generator system for the Venetian blind filter can be avoided.

Also, venetian blind systems are effective only in some directions, especially when operating in the line of sight mode; As with the plane (or lamella) being laid horizontally without angles, it will leave a large space along the horizon and allow more large particles to escape laterally. If placed vertically without an angle, it will leave a large space along the vertical line and more large particles will escape in the up and down direction.

However, this design uses a tube structure, so it will block large particles from all directions and leave a smaller amount of particles going through the filter system.

Compared to the pure solenoid port filter used in the prior art, the present invention using multiple tubes effectively blocks large particles that are reflected off the walls of the solenoid ports. Therefore, the present invention is more effective in filtration and has higher efficiency per cost.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for filtering a plasma from an arc ion evaporator, the apparatus comprising a cylindrical or rectangular plane or a blunt cone or other type of consuming cathode capable of projecting a plasma stream to the filter apparatus, In order to filter neutral particles containing large particles in a plasma beam from an ion evaporator, an intrinsic parallel multi-tube is used, the parallel multi-tubes are arranged in parallel with each other and are accommodated in a concentric manner in the straight tube- The straight tube type inner tube 105, the straight tube type adjacent tube 106, and the straight tube type adjacent tube 107 which are transparent to the plasma stream among the lines perpendicular to the cathode plane, Amount) is two or more according to the demand of the designer, and the outermost tube has only one An electrical solenoid coil consisting of an inner tube or a plurality of adjacent tubes between said innermost tube and said outermost tube and made of a metal or wire wound or coiled spirally for better plasma transport, (Or solenoid field) provides a filter device for filtering the plasma from the arc ion evaporator, which more effectively guides the plasma out of the filter system.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an arc ion evaporator or cathode arc source comprising a device as described above, by means of a built-in as a single unit or by means of, but not limited to, The ionic evaporator provides an arc ion evaporator or cathode arc source comprising a cylindrical or rectangular plane or a blunt conical shape or other type of consumable cathode capable of projecting the plasma stream into the filter device described above.

At this time, the filter device may use a parallel multi-tube type tube for discharging the plasma outside the filter system using the kinetic energy of the plasma stream and for filtering the plasma beam from the arc ion evaporator without using the electric solenoid coil.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an arc ion evaporator or cathode arc source comprising the above-described arrangement by means of a built-in unit as a single unit or welded or fixed to the filter, Provides an arc ion evaporator or cathode arc source comprising a cylindrical or rectangular plane or a blunt conical shape or other type of consumable cathode capable of projecting the plasma stream to the filter device of claim 3.

At this time, it is possible to use the intrinsic parallel multi-tube which filters the plasma beam from the arc ion evaporator by using various permanent magnets or electromagnetic circuits for transporting the plasma outside the filter system.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided an arc ion evaporator or cathode arc source comprising a device as described above, by means of a built-in unit as a single unit or welded or fixed to the filter, but not limited thereto, A rectangular plane or a blunt conical shape or other type of consumable cathode capable of projecting the plasma stream into the filter device described above.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of fabricating a nanocomposite, such as a surface coating, or a thin film deposition, or a synthesis of a material having a specific structure in the micrometer range, or a synthesis of a material having a specific structure in the nanometer range, There is the above-described filter device equipped with a arc ion evaporator or a cathode arc source for the synthesis of materials or synthesis of diamond-like carbon (DLC), and other related materials that can be synthesized using this technique , Said device comprising a device having the above-described filter device by means of a built-in as a single unit or by means of, but not limited to, welding or fixing to the filter, prepared for the installation of an arc ion evaporator or a cathode arc source to provide.

The present design can control the size and / or amount of large particles that contaminate the plasma beam by using multiple tubes arranged in parallel with each other.

Further, the present invention can improve the plasma transportation by applying a magnetic field to the filter device. The filter of the present invention can reduce the number of large particles in the plasma beam and nevertheless the filter can be designed in a compression configuration with a high degree of flexibility for applications that meet engineering needs.

1 (Prior Art) is a schematic view of a Venetian-blind filter of Reference 1.
2 (Prior Art) is a schematic view of a Venetian-blind filter of Reference 2.
Fig. 3 (Prior Art) shows the plasma movement along the magnetic line of Reference 3.
4 (prior art) shows a mathematical expression used to determine the critical angle of the line-of-sight Venetian-blind filter of reference 6.
Figure 5 (prior art) is a photograph of Ryabchikov type Venetian-blind filter of reference 3.
6 (Prior Art) is a schematic view of a filter device using a solenoid field of reference 5.
7 (Prior Art) is a schematic view of the magnetic field generated by the solenoid of Reference 5.
Fig. 8 (present invention) is a schematic side view of a parallel multi-tube filter.
Fig. 9 (present invention) shows the principle of a parallel multi-tube filter.
10 is a schematic front view of a parallel multi-tube filter for a circular face arc ion evaporator.
Figure 11 (present design) is a schematic front view of a parallel multi-tube filter for a rectangular plane arc ion evaporator
Figure 12 (present design) is a photograph of an experimental parallel multi-tube placed in a solenoid tube.

Fig. 8 (the present invention) shows the principle of the multi-tube filter system of the arc ion evaporator according to the present invention. The arc ion evaporator 101 has a target 102 installed as a cathode for evaporating a desired substance. The plasma and particles ejected out of the target move in the direction shown by the arrows to parallel multiple tubes that filter the neutral and large particles from the plasma beam. The parallel multiple tubes are made up of an innermost tube 105, an adjacent tube 106, and a next adjacent tube 107, which are arranged parallel to each other and housed inside the outermost tube 103. The number (or quantity) of adjacent tubes may be in an unlimited amount depending on the designer's desires, for example, there may be only one innermost tube in the outermost tube, or several hundreds There may be several tubes. The depth and space distance of these tubes can be determined by the designer's experiment or by using the equation shown in FIG.

This arrangement allows a plasma beam, having a higher energy level and being more volatile than gas, to pass through the space between the parallel multiple tubes. When a neutral or large particle that tends to have a bent trajectory for a parallel multi-tube filter system reaches the filter, they will be injected into or stopped therefrom

When better plasma transport is desired, an electrical solenoid coil 104 will be installed to enclose the outermost tube. Also, since the generated solenoid field (or magnetic field) has a field line parallel to the parallel multiple tubes, the plasma (and / or ions) will be more efficiently guided out of the filter system.

In the case of a parallel multi-tube set (consisting of the innermost tube and adjacent tubes), such as 105, 106, and 107 shown in FIG. 8, the designer of the system may allow the parallel tube system to maintain an electrically float state, Or to help the parallel tube system to become positive when compared to the target potential of the arc ion evaporator to help stabilize the arc ion evaporator if not so stable, or for better control of the coating structure, (Such as, but not limited to) biasing the tube system to assist in creating a higher electric potential field relative to the workpiece, for ion implantation, or for ion etching of a workpiece, Can be selected.

The material used to construct the tube may be selected from a variety of materials as long as it can withstand the thermal and / or corrosive properties of the plasma beam. Thus, (but not limited to) refractory metals, metal alloys, ceramics, composites, etc., in ways that the designer of the system deems appropriate.

Fig. 9 (the present invention) shows the filtration process occurring inside the parallel multi-tube system of the present invention. When the plasma beam moves from the arc ion evaporator to the filter system along the direction of the arrow, positive ions [+ sign] 109, which is a plasma component that can be affected by the magnetic field, And may be guided along a solenoid field line parallel to the multi-tube system (comprised of the outermost tube 103 and the inner tube system). In the case of the neutral particles 111 which are not affected by the magnetic field and tend to move into the multi-tube system and angled locus 112, the cations will be guided easily through the multi-tube system, Collide and immediately stop or reflect there and be stopped inside the multi-tube system.

10 (a) shows a front view of a parallel multi-tube filter system according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8, the tubes 105, 106, and 107 are the innermost tube, the adjacent tube, and the next adjacent tube, and 103 is the outermost tube with the solenoid 104 surrounding the outside. An electrical-biasing system 108 is used to bias the solenoid.

A parallel multi-tube filter system having a circular frontal structure such as the FIG. 10 scheme is suitable for installation in an arc ion evaporator having a target having a circular frontal area.

Fig. 11 (present invention) shows a front view of a parallel multi-tube filter system according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8, tubes 105, 106, and 107 are the innermost tube, adjacent tube, and next adjacent tube, and 103 is the outermost tube having solenoid 104 surrounding the outside. An electrical-biasing system 108 is used to bias the solenoid.

A parallel multi-tube filter system having a rectangular frontal structure such as the one shown in FIG. 11 is suitable for installation in an arc ion evaporator having a target having a rectangular frontal area.

Fig. 12 (present invention) is a photograph showing an example of an experimental parallel multi-tube provided inside a solenoid tube.

Description of preferred embodiments

The parallel multi-tube filter system according to FIG. 8 of the present invention consists of an arc ion evaporator 101 having a target 102 installed at its cathode for evaporating a desired substance into a plasma form. The plasma and neutral particles generated from the arc ion evaporator will migrate to a parallel multi-tube system to filter neutral particles and large particles out of the plasma beam in the direction of the arrow. The parallel multiple tubes are made up of an innermost tube 105, an adjacent tube 106, and a next adjacent tube 107 which are arranged parallel to each other and housed in the outermost tube 103. The number (or quantity) of adjacent tubes may be in an unlimited amount depending on the needs of the designer. For example, there may be only one innermost tube in the outermost tube, or there may be hundreds of tubes between the innermost tube and the outermost tube. Also, for better plasma transport, an electric solenoid coil 104 is installed around the outermost tube, and the magnetic field (or solenoid field) thereby generated will more efficiently direct the plasma out of the filter system.

References cited

1. A. I. Ryabchikov, Surface and Coatings Technology 96 (1997) 9-15

2. A. Anders, Surface and Coatings Technology 120 -121 (1999) 319-330

3. O. Zimmer, Surface and Coatings Technology 200 (2005) 440-443

4. I. I. Aksenov et al., J. Tech. Phys. 54 (1984) 1530

5. M. S. Liu et al., Surface and Coatings Technology 148 (2001) 25-29

6. Weber et al., US Patent US 8,382,963 B2 2/2013

101: arc ion evaporator 102: target
103: outermost tube 104: solenoid coil
105: innermost tube 106: adjacent tube
107: next adjacent tube 108: electric-bias system

Claims (7)

An apparatus for filtering a plasma from an arc ion evaporator,
A cylindrical or rectangular plane or a blunt cone or other type of consumable cathode capable of projecting a plasma stream to the filter device,
An intuitive parallel multi-tube is used to filter neutral particles containing large particles from the plasma beam from the arc ion evaporator,
The parallel multi-
An inner tube 105, an inner tube 106, and an inner tube 103, which are parallel to each other and are received in a concentric manner inside the straight tube 103, the tubes being transparent to the plasma stream, And is composed of an adjacent tube 107,
The number (or amount) of the adjacent tubes is two or more according to the designer's request, and the inside of the outermost tube is made up of only one innermost tube, or a plurality An adjacent tube,
For better plasma transport, an electric solenoid coil 104, made of a spiral coiled or wound metal or wire, is wrapped around the outermost tube so that the generated magnetic field (or solenoid field) A filter device for filtering a plasma from an arc ion evaporator that more effectively guides it out of the system. An arc ion evaporator or cathode arc source comprising the apparatus of claim 1 by means of a built-in as a single unit or by means of, but not limited to, welding or fixing to the filter,
Wherein the arc ion evaporator comprises a cylindrical or rectangular plane or a blunt conical shape or other type of consumable cathode capable of projecting the plasma stream into the filter device of claim 1. The method according to claim 1,
The filter device uses the kinetic energy of the plasma stream to discharge the plasma out of the filter system,
And a parallel multi-tube tube for filtering the plasma beam from the arc ion evaporator without an electric solenoid coil. An arc ion evaporator or cathode arc source comprising an apparatus as claimed in claim 3 by means of a built-in unit as a single unit or by means of, but not limited to,
The arc ion evaporator may comprise a cylindrical or rectangular plane or a blunt conical shape or other type of consumable cathode capable of projecting the plasma stream to the filter device of claim 3. The method according to claim 1,
A filter device for filtering the plasma from the arc ion evaporator, using the intuitively parallel multi-tube to filter the plasma beam from the arc ion evaporator using various types of permanent magnets or electromagnetic circuits to transport the plasma outside the filter system . An arc ion evaporator or cathode arc source comprising the apparatus of claim 5 by means of a built-in unit as a single unit or by means of, but not limited to, welding or fixing to the filter,
The arc ion evaporator comprises a cylindrical or rectangular plane or a blunt conical shape or other type of consumable cathode capable of projecting the plasma stream into the filter device of claim 5. Surface coating, or thin film deposition, or synthesis of materials having specific structures in the micrometer range, or synthesis of materials having specific structures in the nanometer range, synthesis of various nano-materials such as nano-ceramic powders, The filter device of any one of claims 1, 3 and 5, provided with an arc ion evaporator or cathode arc source for the synthesis of diamond-like carbon (DLC), and other related materials that can be synthesized using this technique As a device provided,
The apparatus of claim 1, 3 or 5, characterized in that it comprises a filter device (1) according to any one of claims 1, 3 and 5, by means of means built in as a single unit or welded or fixed to the filter, .

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